Happy Grandma

[Orange L285]

Today was the first time in 5 years Grandma saw the old L285 working and it made her smile. I would also think she might have thought back to a time when "Pa" would roam around the property doing whatever "Pa" does...

Pa has been gone for three years now so pretty nice to be able to make Grandma "happy" if only for a little while. She actually could not believe the tractor was still here and seemed very suprized the tractor was even operable...

Little does she know we love Pa's old tractor and would never think to sell or trade it out for a new one. May get a new one but gonna keep the L285 just because Grandma needs a happy day every now and then... THANKS to everyone here who has helped me keep this tractor running by sharing knowledge, experience and ideas/thoughts here in Orange Tractor Talks.

 

[mcfarmall]

I have my maternal grandpa's Farmall C. He died before I was born and I would never part with it either. Whenever I use it, I always think that my grandfather's hands gripped the wheel and did all the operator stuff so I kind of make a connection. It truly is the only way I will ever know him.

 

[Henro]

Hope in the distant future someone in my family feels the same way! Just turned 74 this week...

 

[bird dogger]

Hope in the distant future someone in my family feels the same way! Just turned 74 this week...

There's a pretty good chance they will!

Here's number 2 son about age 11 cultivating their sweet corn crop on their grandpa's IH "M". I had to wait til they were in from the edge of the field to take the picture because the first few rounds suffered some "cultivator blight". Once it was explained to them that the loss from every few feet of four rows at a time for a few seconds of daydreaming cost them "X" amount of dollars out of their pocket in lost sales.....their concentration level improved dramatically!!

 

[NCL4701]

I live beside my Dad (when he’s not in inpatient care). He had a 9N I started driving when I was about 8 or 9. He also had a Farmall H that he grew up with and bought back from a neighbor when I was about 16 so I have much fewer hours on the H.

A few months ago he asked what I’d do with his old tractors when he is gone since they aren’t really used now that we have the Kubota. Told him the H will probably go to a good home elsewhere. The son of the neighbor that had it for many years (who’s probably in his mid 60’s by now) is sentimental about it to the point he visits it about once a year so if he wanted it, I’d just give it to him. It’s sentimental to him and my Dad as the first tractor (or anything) they ever drove but just a tractor to me.

The 9N; I have sort of a dysfunctional love/hate relationship with that one. It’s mostly a 9N. Dad variously calls it a 9N or 2N as it’s kind of a mash up of both. Back wheels (and tires) don’t match. Hood is a Ferguson that’s been reshaped a bit with a sledgehammer to fit. Brakes are oil soaked and need work same as they have at least since the late 70’s. PTO can’t be shut off and it looks like it should have a cover but I’ve never seen it. I could go on but I expect you can imagine the rest from there. It’s a roach of a machine. Ugly, underpowered motor and hydraulics, but it just keeps running. I see posts on here about the fine art of finessing the fuel for modern tractors. My Dad used to clean paint brushes (with oil base paint) in the gas tank of that thing and I recall having to clean the paint out of the filter bowl only once. Took dang near 10 minutes. I may not do much with it other than watch it sit in a shed, but not getting rid of the 9N/2N/Ferguson.